Las Vegas Weekly

June 18, 2009 · 1:09 PM

Photo Gallery: Hockey and Hollywood stars gather for NHL Awards tonight

By Robin Leach

George Maloof and Mark Messier.

Photo: TVT

Sports writers from across the U.S. and Canada have mobbed the superstars of the National Hockey League, and Las Vegas has become an overnight ice palace for fans.

“We are so glad to be here in Las Vegas,” hockey legend Mark Messier told me last night at the Palms, where he posed with owner George Maloof for our exclusive shot. “I was last in Vegas in the early ’90s for an exhibition game way before I retired, and man has this city changed. I don’t recognize a thing on the Strip.

“Coming to Vegas is great for the league and its stars. It gives us a world stage. The excitement of the city makes the NHL shine brighter and bigger, and the partnership is fantastic for both. Plus, we’re going to have a good time here. We can party like the best of them, and we’re going to show Vegas we know how to enjoy it fully.”

TV cameras, radio interviewers and writers at last night’s welcome reception in the Palms Fantasy Tower mobbed Mark. Canadian writers and New England Sports Network TV even grilled me about how Las Vegas was reacting to the NHL takeover. I told them all to give Las Vegas an opportunity to have the next team franchise!

I haven’t seen Mark in more than 15 years when I profiled him on Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous. It was an instantly warm reunion as if time had never passed. He told me he still had his apartment in Manhattan but had retired to live in Hilton Head, S.C., where it was warmer and he couldn’t go skating!

Photo: TVT

Mark Messier is mobbed by the media.

Mark is just one of the legendary hockey stars making presentations tonight at the live two-country telecast of the NHL Awards. Robin Thicke, Chaka Khan and Michael Buble are among a host of celebrities taking part in the entertainment sections of the program.

NHL superstar Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, the 2009 Maurice “Rocket” Richard Award winner and one of tonight’s Hart Memorial Trophy candidate, talked about his Las Vegas visit. He will be featured as the cover athlete and spokesman for the next iteration of the popular NHL 2K video game franchise NHL 2K10. While leading the NHL in goals for the second consecutive season, Alex has become one of the most recognizable faces of the NHL in only his fourth season.

“It’s a good time to be Ovi!” he said. “This is an incredible honor, and I look forward to making NHL 2K10 the most fun and amazing hockey video game experience ever. I can’t wait to put some of my moves in there.” He took part in the first-ever outdoor hockey motion capture filming session in the Roman Plaza at Caesars Palace.

Photo: Denise Truscello/WireImage

Joe Maloof, George Maloof, Mayor Oscar Goodman, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Gavin Maloof with the mayor's showgirls and The Stanley Cup.

The open-air rink recalls the last major NHL exhibition game here with Mark on Sept. 27, 1991, when in the L.A. Kings vs. New York Rangers hockey showdown, Wayne Gretzky led the Kings to victory in a similarly unusual and picturesque open-air setting at the Strip resort.

The 2009 NHL Awards starts with the red carpet at 3 p.m. today at the Palms, and the public is invited. Alex is one of three finalists for the Hart Memorial Trophy, an annual award given to the player judged to be the most valuable to his team.

Meantime, one of the most prestigious sports trophies, the highly prized Stanley Cup, was on display yesterday at the World Series of Poker tournaments at The Rio. Vegas DeLuxe reader Rick Corey posted these videos to YouTube.

We’ll have overnight photos from the red carpet, the awards show and the private after-party right here tomorrow, plus our live-from-the-scene, as-it-happens Twitter reports and photos.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter HERE.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter HERE.

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